Bramble grateful for Sunderland fans welcome

Bramble could not be happier with the way he has been welcomed on Wearside, as he insisted it was always up to him to prove Bruce was right to sign him.

"The fans have been great ever since I got here and I want to repay them for that," Bramble told The Journal. "I always said when I came here that it was up to me to prove myself as a Sunderland player out on the pitch and things have gone pretty well for me so far.

"I still think I need a few games to be at my best, but I've settled in well and it has been everything I'd hoped for when I decided I wanted to come here.

"It's an excellent club and I'm really enjoying it. You can talk as much as you want, but fans are going to warm to you if they see you are playing well on a matchday. That's all that matters."